east side wise guys

this year for CHRISTmas, i received a gift from my two boys (as well as my third one, who was unable to participate on account of he hasn't arrived yet!).  it was a book entitled "the revelation of the magi".  in this book, the author translates as well as provides commentary on an ancient manuscript, dated somewhere between the 1st and 3rd century after Christ's birth, that goes into more detail concerning the magi from a mystical eastern land that are talked about in matthew 2.  it has been a fascinating read, and while i would not hold it anywhere near as authoritative as the Bible, it is interesting to get a glimpse into what might have been the untold story of the magi.  matthew's gospel is very cryptic concerning the magi, or wise men, as some call them.  all we know, from matthew's account, is that they came from the east, following a star that led them to Jesus' house, and caused quite a stir in jerusalem, especially among the ruling authority, herod the great.  we also know that they brought gifts:  gold, frankinscence, and myrrh.  that is as far as the story goes.  many have speculated as to where they were from, some saying persia, others babylon, and some even saying the far east.  many also like to say that there were three of them, hence the three gifts.  however, we do not know how many there were.  although, for them to cause such a stir in jerusalem, there must have been more than three, for a small band of three travelers would hardly have been noticed.  however cryptic the story may be, the truth is in the details. 

first, we know that they left everything to follow a star for years that was to lead them to the Christ.  whether or not they knew his name, we do not know.  we do know that they had faith in Him before they had even met Him.  as Jesus once said, those who believe without seeing are more blessed than those who have seen and believe.  in "revelation of the magi", the magi were not astrologers or kings, as many hymns and CHRISTmas pageants make them out to be.  instead, they are direct descendents of seth, adam's and eve's son, who are watchers for the prophecy that was given adam when he was expelled from the garden.  they go on to say that there was another prophecy, not mentioned in the biblical account, given to seth by adam, to look for a star signifying God's birth in human form.  whether or not this is true, is for an outside discussion.  however, we can look at the faith of these men who made an extraordinary long journey just to worship the King of Kings, born to a teenage girl and a middle class carpenter.  many of us could do well to learn from them.  we find it a burden (and yes, i myself sometimes fall into this category) to get up and get our households dressed and out the door and drive in traffic 15 minutes to church. 

another detail is in the gifts given by the magi.  first, is gold.  gold was a gift that was given to a king.  they recognized this Baby they had never met as King, regardless of how he appeared to them in His infancy.  second, is frankincense.  this was a gift given to a deity.  in the holy of holies, the priest would burn frankincense as a scent offering to Yahweh on yom kippur, the day of atonement.  these first two gifts, gold and frankincense, He had been offered before.  gold was used in the construction of the ark of the covenant, as well as in the construction of solomon's temple.  however, the third gift, myrrh, is the most intriguing.  myrrh was a spice, and had two purposes.  the first was in burial.  they recognized the purpose of this Baby was to die.  today, we have turned Jesus' cross into an accident, pitying Jesus suffering and dying on it.  we view it as a cruel punishment brought on by the corrupt Jews and the power hungry Romans, and "poor Jesus" was murdered on it.  however, this is as far from the truth as it can be.  the devil and the world WANT us to pity Jesus.  for when we pity Him, we deny His power and His purpose.  He came FOR the cross, the cross didn't come for Him.  was it horrible?  yes!  was it torment?  yes!  was it injustice?  absolutely!  but was it avoidable?  NO!  interesting that of all trades, Jesus was fathered by a carpenter!  He knew of His destiny, long before crosses were even used.  there are countless prophecies of the cross, hundreds of years before Jesus was even born.  He came to die.  which brings us to the second use of myrrh:  analgesic.

out of the three gifts Jesus was offered, only one would be offered again to Him during His time on earth:  myrrh.  when He was dying on the cross, myrrh was put on a sponge and offered to Him to dull His pain.  the romans liked to keep their victims alive and alert and did not want them passing out in shock from pain.  myrrh was used in His burial. 

one day, He will be offered gold and frankincense again.  we can see that in the book of revelation.  however, today, most of the world would rather deny His deity and His royalty, in the same way that herod did.  herod the great was known for his ruthlessness, even going so far as to having his wife and sons killed so that no one could lay claim to his throne.  he feared this little Baby so much, that he had every child two and under in his kingdom murdered.  imagine laying in your bed, and soldiers coming to your door demanding your 18 month old son, and them taking him out into the street and beheading him right in front of you.  many today are just as threatened by this Baby that was born 2000 years ago.  amazing that people aren't threatened by any other ancient religious leader.  oh sure, people are threatened by mohammed, but not so much the man himself, but his evil murdering followers.  why the fuss over a peasant Baby?  it's because if He truly was who He said He was, then they know that they have a lot to answer for.  they also know that He threatens their rule over their own respective worlds.  but mostly, they know that the day is coming that they will stand before Him and then they will know that He truly is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Mighty God. 

what is your view of Jesus?  is He a threat to your world?  is He still in the manger?  as a popular movie once said, "i like the CHRISTmas Jesus!  little baby Jesus in the gold diaper. . ."  is He still on the cross?  do you still feel sorry for Him when you look at a crucifix or watch "the passion of the Christ"?  or is He the RISEN Jesus, who is sitting on His throne in heaven and will one day come back as the Conquering King, with fire in His eyes, and a double-edged sword in His mouth?  choose well, for the difference between the choices is eternity!

xmas and Christmas

normally i like to post entries of my own authorship, but being that c.s. lewis is my favourite author, and this essay by him is very appropriate for the season, i give you "xmas and Christmas".  it is a fictional account of the island of niatrib (britain spelled backwards), written from the point of an outside person observing their culture during the holidays.

“Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus,” by C.S. Lewis
And beyond this there lies in the ocean, turned towards the west and north, the island of Niatirb which Hecataeus indeed declares to be the same size and shape as Sicily, but it is larger, though in calling it triangular a man would not miss the mark. It is densely inhabited by men who wear clothes not very different from the other barbarians who occupy the north western parts of Europe though they do not agree with them in language. These islanders, surpassing all the men of whom we know in patience and endurance, use the following customs.

In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card. But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival; guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the marketplace is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.

But having bought as many as they suppose to be sufficient, they return to their houses and find there the like cards which others have sent to them. And when they find cards from any to whom they also have sent cards, they throw them away and give thanks to the gods that this labour at least is over for another year. But when they find cards from any to whom they have not sent, then they beat their breasts and wail and utter curses against the sender; and, having sufficiently lamented their misfortune, they put on their boots again and go out into the fog and rain and buy a card for him also. And let this account suffice about Exmas-cards.
They also send gifts to one another, suffering the same things about the gifts as about the cards, or even worse. For every citizen has to guess the value of the gift which every friend will send to him so that he may send one of equal value, whether he can afford it or not. And they buy as gifts for one another such things as no man ever bought for himself. For the sellers, understanding the custom, put forth all kinds of trumpery, and whatever, being useless and ridiculous, they have been unable to sell throughout the year they now sell as an Exmas gift. And though the Niatirbians profess themselves to lack sufficient necessary things, such as metal, leather, wood and paper, yet an incredible quantity of these things is wasted every year, being made into the gifts.

But during these fifty days the oldest, poorest, and most miserable of the citizens put on false beards and red robes and walk about the market-place; being disguised (in my opinion) as Cronos. And the sellers of gifts no less than the purchaser’s become pale and weary, because of the crowds and the fog, so that any man who came into a Niatirbian city at this season would think some great public calamity had fallen on Niatirb. This fifty days of preparation is called in their barbarian speech the Exmas Rush.
But when the day of the festival comes, then most of the citizens, being exhausted with the Rush, lie in bed till noon. But in the evening they eat five times as much supper as on other days and, crowning themselves with crowns of paper, they become intoxicated. And on the day after Exmas they are very grave, being internally disordered by the supper and the drinking and reckoning how much they have spent on gifts and on the wine. For wine is so dear among the Niatirbians that a man must swallow the worth of a talent before he is well intoxicated.

Such, then, are their customs about the Exmas. But the few among the Niatirbians have also a festival, separate and to themselves, called Crissmas, which is on the same day as Exmas. And those who keep Crissmas, doing the opposite to the majority of the Niatirbians, rise early on that day with shining faces and go before sunrise to certain temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And in most of the temples they set out images of a fair woman with a new-born Child on her knees and certain animals and shepherds adoring the Child. (The reason of these images is given in a certain sacred story which I know but do not repeat.)
But I myself conversed with a priest in one of these temples and asked him why they kept Crissmas on the same day as Exmas; for it appeared to me inconvenient. But the priest replied, “It is not lawful, O stranger, for us to change the date of Chrissmas, but would that Zeus would put it into the minds of the Niatirbians to keep Exmas at some other time or not to keep it at all. For Exmas and the Rush distract the minds even of the few from sacred things. And we indeed are glad that men should make merry at Crissmas; but in Exmas there is no merriment left.” And when I asked him why they endured the Rush, he replied, “It is, O Stranger, a racket”; using (as I suppose) the words of some oracle and speaking unintelligibly to me (for a racket is an instrument which the barbarians use in a game called tennis).

But what Hecataeus says, that Exmas and Crissmas are the same, is not credible. For first, the pictures which are stamped on the Exmas-cards have nothing to do with the sacred story which the priests tell about Crissmas. And secondly, the most part of the Niatirbians, not believing the religion of the few, nevertheless send the gifts and cards and participate in the Rush and drink, wearing paper caps. But it is not likely that men, even being barbarians, should suffer so many and great things in honour of a god they do not believe in. And now, enough about Niatirb.

as they shouted out with "glee"

in a recent episode of "glee", the show tackled the subject of "religion" and how each of the members of the glee club viewed it.  there has been a lot of talk about the episode and many christians have publicly denounced the episode, crying blasphemy and the like.  while i do agree that the episode teetered on the edge, and even crossed over in a few instances into the land of blasphemy, my concern is that those who watched it, or didn't watch it, but rather went on what someone else said about it, and missed a valuable glimpse into our society. 

to get a feel on the pulse of a society on any particular subject, a good lithmus test is to look at the entertainment that is valued by that society.  the artists that are usually the most popular are the ones that society as a whole identify with most.  if we look back through history, we can see that even as far back as ancient greece, the theatre was a political commentary on the times in which they were living.  shakespeare was so popular because he reflected the views of the common people.  today is no different.  glee has grown from an obscure late night "dramedy" to one of the most popular shows on television.  musicians are scrambling to get their songs performed on the show, and celebrities are clammering for a guest spot in an episode.  and considering the recent news pieces on the religious illiteracy of society, it is no surprise that the writers of the show chose this subject to focus on. 

but what of the content?  for those of you that missed the episode, the synopsis is basically two different story lines.  finn, the former quarterback of the football team, has a religious experience when he sees the face of Jesus in the burn marks on his grilled cheese, that he refers to as his "grilled cheesus", and begins asking for trivial prayer requests that seem to be answered.  meanwhile, kurt, the homosexual member of the glee club, has a dad that has a major heart attack and is in a coma.  the rest of the club attempts to reach out to him and pray for his dad, which only angers him because he doesn't believe in a "god that would take his mother away (she died when he was young) and would now do this to his dad.  besides, what kind of god would "make him gay" and then have his followers tell him he was going to hell for something he "had no control over". 

so, i challenge you to step back away from your holy blessed assurance and look at the characters in this episode and get a snapshot of society's various views of god.

first, there's kurt.  we all know someone like him.  they claim a disbelief in god because of all of the bad things that have happened in their lives, their families' lives, their friends' lives, the world, etc.  in a sense, they are blaming a god they claim to not believe in, for their misfortunes.  and they see those who do believe in god as judgemental and more evil than they because of the way that the believers treat them.  what do you say when you are confronted with a kurt?  do you ostracize them and call them a sinner?  do you try and give them a theology lesson explaining why they are wrong? 

next, there's puck.  puck is the high school jock that is mr. popular.  he responds to the question of religion by saying that he is a total "jew for Jesus" and that Jesus is his favorite "heb".  yet, his life is one that could hardly be classified as the embodiment of christian morals.  our youth groups are filled with pucks.  do we disciple them and lovingly point them to the truth?  or do we ignore their behaviours and hope that they figure it out through osmosis?

look at finn.  he has a religious experience (can anyone say "youth camp"?) and begins asking for things that are trivial and even unbiblical, praying to his triangle of grilled cheese with Jesus' face on it as if it were a golden buddah.  our youth groups are also filled with finns.  they have a religious experience and they build a faith around that experience, and when it's challenged like finn's was by the guidance counselor, it crumbles, leaving us singing the familiar bars of "losing my religion" like finn at the end of the show.  that's just it, he did lose his "religion".  that's because there is no validity in religion.  but so many in our society treat God as if He was a magic genie that is there solely to answer our petty requests, thus centering their religion on themselves as opposed to God, and falling flat and feeling empty and hopeless in the end.  do we encourage this behaviour by relying on a big event such as a youth camp to lift us or our youth up, but neglecting solid biblical teaching and discipleship throughout the rest of the year?

and sue sylvester.  who could forget sue sylvester?  she is the acid-tongued cheerleading coach who has it in for the glee club, and sees the club's new musical numbers on religion as a chance to jump in and slam the club for violating separation of church and state.  as the show goes on, she is much like kurt, in that she prayed and prayed to God to heal her sister who has down's syndrome, only to see her prayers go unanswered and her sister mocked and ridiculed by the bullies of society, leaving her jaded and bitter and denying the existence of any sort of God.  but she takes hers one step further.  she tries to force her nonbelief on everyone else around her.  she says at one point that in a public school students are not allowed to express their religious beliefs, which is completely untrue.  when we are faced with a sue, do we stand up and refuse to back down?  or do we withdraw our kids from the school and quickly retreat from confrontation and shuffle them into a "christian" school (which, by the way, are usually filled with the same sorts of kids that are in the public schools, they just have their names on a church roll somewhere).

as we are bombarded in the episode with this barrage of negativity towards religion, there is the one small candlelight that breaks up the darkness, and from the most unexpected place:  sue's older sister with down's syndrome.  at the end of the show, sue is playing checkers with her sister and asks her if she believes in God, to which her sister responds "yes!"  when sue protests about her profession and reminds her about her condition, her sister replies, "sue, God doesn't make mistakes!"  sue, then replies in a moment of near realization, "would you pray for me?" and her sister replies "yes!"  in the midst of adversity, do we shine bright for the Saviour?  do others see a peace in us that they want?

as the debate continues about the religious overtones of glee, we as christians can either step up and take notice, and then develop a gameplan of how we are to engage the culture that is reflected in the episode, or do we bury our heads in the sand?  the thing about burying our head in the sand, the danger is still there, and everyone around us can see our cowardice exposed, leaving us looking ridiculous and portraying nothing that the world sees as remotely attractive.  ever wonder why Jesus chose a party with drinking to start His earthly ministry?

the writing in the sky

to the pastor or church responsible for the sky writing plane over disney:  while visiting the magic kingdom, my wife and i, along with my two sons, noticed the writing.  at first, we thought it was part of the "disney experience", but as the writing spelled out "g..o..t..o.." we figured it to be some sort of advertisement.  then the "j..e..s..u..s.." appeared.  aside from it not really making that much sense, we also noticed the reactions of many of the people around us.  they ranged everywhere from rolling eyes to indifference.  the following messages of "u..+..God..=..:)" and "t..r..u..s..t..j..e..s..u..s.." went largely unnoticed.  while your intentions may have been good, your methodology was significantly flawed.  i can imagine God saying to you when you get to heaven, "i give you an 'a' for effort, but next time, use that thing i put between your ears and be a wiser steward of the money that i have given you."  i think about the hundreds or even more that you spent on that plane and pilot to write ignored messages to uninterested patrons, and ways of how that money could have been better spent.  for all practical purposes, you would have done better to stand in the bell tower of your church and ring the bell for everyone to come, and you would have gotten the same effect, at a much cheaper price.  instead, you could have used that money to feed the hungry in your town (there are plenty), to buy bibles to give to those without, to fund a missionary to go on a mission trip, etc.  the point is, Jesus said that whatever we do to the most lowly of people, we do to Him. 

if you could have seen the looks of the people that were turned off by your message, you would have deeply regretted your attempt.  you essentially became one of the priests that ignored the man beaten and bleeding in the street that the good samaritan stopped and helped.  you took the easy way out, as so many churches do today, and avoided getting your hands dirty, and tried to proselytize from afar.  have you not heard the adage, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"? 

next time, think about your investments.  choose to love people in person rather than saying "we love you, but not enough to actually do something that would benefit you."  follow the example set by our Saviour, who chose to come to us, suffer alongside us, and die for us, rather than writing "God loves you" in the sky with the endless natural resources at His disposal. 

look! it's . . .

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, will never enter it." Mark 10:15

like a little child. such a foreign concept to most people. and rightfully so. we are told from the time we are old enough to understand, that we are to strive for adulthood. we tell our kids to be "big boys and girls". teachers tell elementary students to think about what they want to be when they "grow up". we tell teenagers that they are to act like "young adults". and then when we finally make it to adulthood, we are constantly bombarded with phrases such as "immature", "childish", and "act your age". being child-like is a taboo. so for us to become like a little child is hard, and often times impossible. if we do venture into the realm of immaturity, it usually either takes the form of pettiness or silliness, and definitely a far cry from what Jesus was trying to communicate to His disciples. one of the best ways to understand the point Jesus was trying to make is to actually observe little children.

on a recent trip to the magical kingdom of walt disney world, i was given a lesson in becoming like a little child. aside from my own trip back down memory lane, the most memorable part of the trip was watching my two boys, ages 6 and 3, as they were completely overwhelmed by the characters, buildings, rides, and music. everywhere we went, the amazement at witnessing the world that they had only encountered through books, movies, and television, was evident on their glowing faces, fixed into a smile that i began to think would have to be removed with plastic surgery. enthusiastic waves to characters on floats at the parades, entranced smiles while watching the shows, and looks of awe at the fireworks display over cinderella's castle will be captured forever in the hundreds of pictures that we took. every day brought a new surprise. the culmination of the trip was on the last day, when the boys finally got to meet their hero: buzz lightyear! this was the moment they had been waiting for, and one that they will never forget! the other characters were exciting, but none held the esteem that buzz carried. it was a moment that none of us will forget any time soon.

on the last night, while watching "fantasmic", the water, laser, and fireworks show at hollywood studios, it occurred to me what Jesus meant by entering the kingdom like a little child. as the boats came by carrying all of the major disney characters, i looked over at my two boys, who were waving enthusiastically at the characters that were waving "back at them", and it clicked.  to them, the characters were no longer just images on a screen or in a book.  they were now living, breathing personalities that "knew" my sons (at least to them) and were waving to them.  we are to have that same sense of excitement when it comes to the things of God. while disney was something that was tangible to my kids, the kingdom of heaven is a little harder for us. my sons knew that disney existed. they had seen cinderella's castle at the beginning of every disney movie that they watched, but they had never been to disney. in the same way, they know that heaven exists. why? because they trust that if God says it's real, then it must be. but not for us. we need something tangible. our logical and scientific minds have rationalized away the concept of an unseen world somewhere. most of us believe in heaven to some extent, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, then we must admit that it's a little hard to grasp. but we must become like little children, and again somehow recapture that amazement at the things around us. when we look at creation, or when we think about grace and mercy, our faces should light up. when we think about the opportunity we have every day to not only talk to the creator of the universe, but to actually have a relationship with Him, our eyes should fill with joy, and smiles should cross our faces. one day, heaven will be tangible. and we will be like my two sons at disney. close your eyes and picture it. forget who's watching you. let go, and be a kid again. can you hear the exclamations of sheer excitement at the characters? "look! there's adam! and there's peter! king solomon!" what about the amazement in the voices of those around you as they walk the streets of heaven? "wow! the streets sparkle! feel of this! it's real gold! look at the mansions! did you see how big the gates were? and they were really made of pearl! can you imagine the size of the oyster that it took to make that?" and the speechlessness of the crowds as they witness the angelic choirs and orchestras playing the music that is the foundation for all music ever played. "how beautiful! i just got goosebumps hearing them sing! have you ever heard such perfect harmony?" but the culmination of heaven, will be that moment, the moment that will pass all others. listen. you can hear the excited whispers and see the people pointing. "it's Him! it's really Him! it's JESUS! wait! He sees me! He is motioning for me to come over to Him! what to i do? what do i say? i just have to go!" followed by a running sprint, like a child running to his dad when he comes home from work, as one by one, Jesus welcomes all of us into His arms!

on the last night, as we waited on the bus to take us back to the resort, my oldest started crying. not a fit throwing cry, or a tired cry, but a genuine, sad, cry. i asked him what was wrong, and he responded, "i don't want to go! i want to come back tomorrow!" when i informed him that our tickets ended that day, he cried that much more. for him, it was a world of happiness, of magic. one that he never wanted to leave. the beauty of heaven, is that we will never have to experience that sadness of having to leave! we will have every day to discover new things, to meet new people, and to live in child-like wonder at the new world around us. and who knows, you may even overhear someone saying as they point at you, "it's him/her! i heard about them! they are the one that told my great-grandfather about Jesus! they are the one that . . ."

forget finding your inner child. let go, and be a child!

i am a c. . .i am a c-h. . .

christian. the term is used with such flippancy today that it is almost nullifying. frankly, i have heard it so much, that when someone tells me that they are a christian, i think no more of it than if they were to tell me that they were say, a republican. the terms are almost synonymous in nature. both today have come to refer to ideologies and political stances, as opposed to the true meaning of the word "christian".

the term christian was first used during the early days of Christianity, while it was still considered a sect of judaism. in the book of Acts, we see that the disciples were first called "Christians" at antioch. at the time, the term was derogatory in the eyes of the public. they were in essence, mocking the disciples. the term Christ, was recognized to mean "saviour" to the people of the day, and by calling them "christians", they were calling them "little Christs". however, this was the ultimate compliment. the disciples were acting enough like Christ that they were being compared to Him. today, we could hardly compare to those heroes of the early church. yet, everyone who says that they believe that God exists are now labeled "christians." i have a tremendous problem with this. first, let us look at the aspects of those early christians that qualified them as earning the label "christian". they were known as those who hung out with Christ. they lived lives of sacrifice, forsaking all, including their freedom and safety, to spread the gospel. they performed miracles. all of these are mirror images of the example Christ set for them. it was only natural for them to be compared to the Saviour Himself.

now, let us look at those today who would so boldly dare to even place themselves in the same category as those early disciples and call themselves "christian". how many self-labeled "christians" today can honestly say that they "hang out" with Christ everyday? many don't even crack open their Bible once a week, let alone every day. and as for prayer, saying grace before meals is a stretch, and is the closest they get to communicating with Christ. how many of them even know what the word sacrifice means, much less practice it? for many, even opening their mouth at work to share the gospel with a co-worker is not an option out of fear of rejection or embarrassment. and finally, other than the charlatans such as benny hinn who claim to perform miracles, i do not see any of those persons who refer to themselves as "christian" claiming to perform miracles.

what can we take from this? one, none of us deserves the title "little Christ." it is said that the thing a person speaks the loudest against is the vice they are the most susceptible to. i cannot deny this. i am one of those who does not deserve the title of "christian". i tend to refer to myself as a "Christ-follower", but even that is a stretch sometimes. i echo the sentiment of the apostle paul, when he said that he "does the things which he does not want to do, and does not do the things he should do." in thomas a' kempis' imitatio a Christi, he discusses how we are to be like those early disciples, imitating Christ to the point that others cannot help but comparing us to our Saviour. this is the ultimate goal for a true follower of Christ: to become like the Saviour, to be molded in the likeness of Christ. this is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a true Christ-follower. however, we must not get in the way and sacrifice ourselves, our lives, and our pride in order to be moldable. if we go on claiming a status that we have not yet achieved, we see no need in working toward that status.

and second, in order to imitate Christ, we must be a student of Christ. He tells us in Matthew to take His yoke upon us and learn of Him. one cannot learn from someone with whom they do not spend countless hours observing, studying, and talking. i have been teaching my son gavin, to play golf. it was amazing to see how i could show him how to hold his club, how to swing it, and where to hit the ball, yet it wasn't until he stepped back and watched me swing, that he actually figured it out and hit the ball surprisingly well! it must be the same way with Christ. we must both learn of Him, as well as spend time with Him, to truly start imitating Him, and therefore begin working toward the title of "little Christ."

do you live up to the title you are claiming?

ashes, ashes, we all fall down

today is fat tuesday, the day of gluttony observed by those of the catholic faith, as well as anyone else looking for an excuse to binge on anything, whether it be red meat, alcohol, tobacco, etc., on the day before ash wednesday, the start of the lenten season. during lent, a person is asked to give up something that is dear to them for the 40 day period before crucifixion friday. i used to be amused by my classmates that would say "i'm giving up broccoli!", or "i'm giving up homework!" not being catholic, even i knew there was something hokey about that! i remember thinking, "i'm not sure that is how it works," but i always held my tongue. hollywood took a jab at the observance a few years back with the movie "40 days and 40 nights", starring josh hartnett, about a young man who gave up sex for lent, and all of the struggles, hijinx, and temptations that went along with that decision. tonight in new orleans, bourbon street (or rue bourbon for you "saints") is crawling with people partying and binging. how many of them will actually observe lent in the morning, is yet to be seen. having personally been to french quarter during mardi gras, as much as everyone was drinking, i don't imagine they would even want to look at an alcoholic beverage for 40 days!

every year, my wife and i give up something for lent. our church back home in tupelo, ms is also having an ash wednesday service tomorrow. they also observe the advent season, the period leading up to CHRISTmas. "but chris, aren't you baptist?" you ask. the answer is yes. have i given up my baptist doctrine? have i been voted out of the convention? no! absolutely not! as a matter of fact, our church back home is a baptist church. "so why are you observing catholic rituals?" i assume is the next question. if you will give me a second, and not begin the gathering of the deacons to revoke my ordination, i shall explain.

first of all, let me say that i am not one of these people who say that the baptists are right and everyone else is wrong and bound for hell. i just line up with the baptist doctrine more than any other faith. that being said, let me also say that in practice, baptists have a lot of things right, but sometimes we steer so clear of anything related to liturgy and catholicism, that we throw the baby out with the bathwater.

while in rhode island, there were no baptist churches to attend. let me rephrase that, there were no southern baptist churches. there were plenty of american baptists, but those churches in the area have a very bad reputation of corruptness and liberalism. so, while there i attended st. john the evangelist anglican church, and i gained a new appreciation for the reverance paid to the sacred. but going back to the subject of lent, i must explain why i observe it. i must issue a disclaimer in that i do not believe that there is anything salvific in the observance of lent. however, there is a biblical principle that permeates the season of lent: fasting. donald s. whitney, in his book "spiritual disciplines for the christian life" (a must-read for every Christ-follower) lists fasting as one of the most powerful discipline for strengthening your walk with Christ. i observe lent as a reminder and as a preparation of my heart for crucifixion friday (i never understood why they call it good friday) and the subsequent resurrection sunday. (i also do not like the term easter as it is a modification of the word ishtar, a pagan festival of fertility) during this time, i give up something that is a daily part of my life, so that whenever i am tempted to partake in the given up item, i am reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for me in leaving His throne in Heaven to become a ridiculed, poverty-stricken, unpopular, unattractive man in an oppressive government with an ultimate end of torture and abandon, all so i could have a daily relationship with Him. i have given up things such as cheeseburgers (you laugh, but ask my wife how much i love a good cheeseburger), sodas (another hard one, dr. pepper anyone?), and even television one year. did it grant me favor with God? no. did it earn me a spot in Heaven? no. did it mean i was better than others who did not observe it? absolutely not. i am just a sinner, undeserving, saved by grace. however, it did cause me to focus more on Christ and His love for me.

so what am i giving up for lent this year? i respond by saying that i choose to keep that between myself and God, as well as my wife to help keep me accountable. in the Bible, we are told not to broadcast our sacrifices, but to put on a spirit of humility when we fast. this year, even if you are not catholic, or any of the other "catholic-light" versions of Christendom, i encourage you to consider a fast for the season of lent. if you desire a deeper walk with God, i know of no better way. many think of a fast as giving up food and going hungry. that is an extreme version, but there are all kinds of fasts. the point of a fast is to give up something that you will miss, so that during the times that those cravings or longings come up, you can instead turn your focus on God and pray. (an important note: if you are married, and you choose the abstinence route for lent, remember that the Bible says that it must be done in agreement with your spouse. sorry if you thought you suddenly had a better excuse than "i have a headache"!) during the times of longing, instead pray, read scripture, memorize scripture, or sing praises to God (as we see the disciples doing during their many imprisonments). I pray that this lent season will draw you closer to our Saviour and strengthen your relationship with the One who owns everything and gives and takes away! aei pistos!
-C.

love...twue love

for those of you that follow this blog, a lot has happened since i last posted. i am now on active duty with the navy as deputy chaplain for mag-31 at the marine corps air station in beaufort, sc. a majority of my work so far involves trying to fix marriages that are on the verge of calling it quits. the command sergeant major came and talked to me and asked me what i thought the problem might be. i told him that i believed a lot had to do with immaturity. however, last night, my prognosis was called into question.

while sitting down with my bride and watching one of our favorite guilty pleasures, "the bachelor", jake, this season's bachelor, was talking about his decision to eliminate one of the four remaining girls. in his many interviews, he kept repeating the phrase, "i am falling in love with her", referring to the four girls in question. i began thinking about that phrase, "falling in love". i myself have used it many times. however, i believe this is a large part of the problem with marriages today. we have a very skewed idea of what love actually is. hence the phrase, "falling in love".

think about that phrase for a second. what is love? a ditch? a grave? it must be if it's something you can fall into. i think a more proper phrasing would be "falling in lust". after all, that's what it is a majority of the time. and lust is definitely a rut, or a grave. and you can definitely fall into it. but isn't that the picture that is painted for us on the tv and in the movies? love is shown as a trivial feeling that is usually based on a sexual attraction or intimacy. love has been trivialized down to nothing more than a feeling. and marriages built on the shallowness of this viewpoint sprout quickly, like a seed that falls on the patch of dirt on top of a rock, but as soon as adversity hits, the "love" that bloomed so quickly withers and fades and the marriage ends.

so the question that is left is "what is true love?" one definition we can find is in 1 corinthians 13. in the list that is presented there, nowhere do we see that love is a feeling. nowhere do we see that love is based on physical attraction. instead, love is portrayed a very selfless action. i used to say that love is a decision. however, in recent days i have realized something. love is more than a decision. in order to truly define love, we need only to look to the One who personified love. Christ. He came to this earth out of love for us, denied everything that was rightfully His, and sacrificed Himself out of love for us. in that portrait of love, we do not see in any way that Christ's love for us was based on anything about us. in fact, we give Him every day reason after reason NOT to love us. yet He loves us still. in corinthians, husbands are told to love their wives the way that Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. so the answer: love is CHRIST.

if love is Christ, then we are to look to His example of love. even in the face of infidelity, Christ's love for us remains true. why? because His love is not based on trivial and shallow ideals. it is pure love, the love that we are to have for our neighbor. if we are to have it for our neighbor, it is reasonable to expect that we have it that much more for our spouse. if we seek to love as Christ loves us, then it will not matter how mad our spouse makes us, nor how many pounds they put on in that third or fourth year of marriage. it will not matter if they return our love, or if they give it to someone else. we will still love them because we are modeling Christ.

this valentine's day, remember what love really is. it isn't flowers or candy or romance or candlelight dinners. those are all expressions of love. but they are not love. flowers wilt, chocolate gets eaten, candles go out, and romance comes and goes. love, Christ-like love, lasts forever.